Unofficial news and tips about Google

October 28, 2008

Gmail Modes

If you can't access Gmail, try some of these URLs:

Safe mode - http://mail.google.com/mail/?labs=0. It disables the experimental features from Gmail Labs, just in case some of them are buggy. You can remove some of the features from Gmail's settings page.

Secure mode - https://mail.google.com/. It encrypts the traffic between your computer and Gmail's servers. Use it from public computers, Wi-Fi networks or to bypass some proxies and web accelerators. There's a Gmail setting that redirects the standard version to the secure mode ("Always use https").

Older version - http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=1. This version has been replaced in October 2007 by a rearchitectured Gmail, but the old version is a little bit faster.

Basic mode - http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=html. It's the version that doesn't use JavaScript, so it loads faster and it works well with older browsers. Unfortunately, many Gmail features are missing (contacts autocomplete, chat, spell checker, rich formatting) and each click loads a new page. If you like this version, click on "Set basic HTML as default view" at the top of the page.

iGoogle gadget - http://www.google.com/ig/gmailmax. This is the canvas view for the updated Gmail gadget which can be found in the new iGoogle. Some people found that this interface bypasses most corporate filters that prevent them from accessing Gmail at work.

You should remain cautious with the "https://mail.google.com" version, or the so called "Secure Mode". Just typing in that URL will still send some traffic over normal HTTP, and cookie/session-hijacking is still possible. If you want to make sure, go to options in GMail and enable the "Always use HTTPs" option. This will guarantee a HTTPs connection, no matter what.

You'll be safer that way than by just typing in the https-URL, which only makes you *think* you're browsing safe.

And if you find your GMail Notifier suddenly broken, when enabling that "Always use HTTPs"-option, you can find a fix for that here; http://www.mattiasgeniar.be/privacy/is-your-gmail-notifier-broken/

This is a good list, but it omits one handy alternative that I am aware of - the Google Groups approach, which is a little bit similar to the canvas view for the updated Gmail gadget which can be found in the new iGoogle.

The Google Groups approach can currently bypass any draconian security restrictions (that I have come across) when accessing Gmail from corporate networks, and is great when you have to - for example - be able to have free access to view and respond to any new mail coming into your Gmail account.

Method:1. Set up a Google Group with just yourself as a member (add other people as members if you usually want to share your Gmail mailbox with them). Find out from the Groups settings what the peculiar email address is for that group. Give the group a nondescriptive name - e.g., "Philosophy" - because that is what will display in the top LHS of your screen when you peruse the group posts.

2. The group posts will actually be copies of incoming emails to your Gmail account. This is done by setting up (say) a "forward all incoming mail" rule (or other rule as suits your needs) in your Gmail account, using your Group's peculiar email address as the forwarding destination. You can reply to these email posts, via the Group screen, but remember to CC your Gmail address if you want to keep a record in your Gmail account of the replies you make. (This reply and CCing operation is a bit kludgy, but it works. You might now be able to automate the CCing in the Group settings, but I'm not sure.)

I read about this approach a year or so ago, somewhere in one of the many Google blogs, and after setting it up I found it worked a treat.

Maybe someone can help me with a problem.I enabled both the Calendar and the Drag&Drop Labs' apps in my Gmail account, since then I can only access my account in HTML mode. I tried all the other options listed in the post (safe, secure, older and basic modes), but nothing's working, the page cannot load.Any idea how fix that and disable the Labs applications?

My firefox btowser doesnt display Standard mode of Gmail account?My firefox browser does not display standard mode of gmail account and it always comes as a basic HTML mode. It complained of an obsolete version of my firefox, however this continued even after download the latest version of it. Please help.

This may be off topic, but does anyone know why some gmail accounts keep needing the captcha verification? I have a couple clients that run their email service thru gmail, and a couple of the users have to put in the captcha every once in a while to gain access. The double verification isn't on, it's just a mystery. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

I have given up on Gmail. It stopped working with Firefox a few days ago and using the html version is the only solution. However, this is incredibly inefficient and HIGHLY ANNOYING. Why did they screw up gmail?